Going On and Off Again
by Taiyo-chan the Neko Writer
Summary: Gohan has been acting strange lately and Goku decides to find out why. He gets a surprise when he sees he's made a friend his age who's living in the forest by their home. But their isn't time to deal with that as the Androids make their move. But a cosmic event interrupted this scenario. Now it's up to children to rise up and fight when no one else can. Full summary in profile.


Going On and Off Again

 **(Cartwheels onto the scene) Hello everyone!**

 **ML: Taiyo-chan, I thought you were passed out?**

 **Oh don't worry sis. This is only for a few minutes. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pass out again once I let go of this chapter and sleep for 18 hours or so.**

 **ML: That is in no way healthy at all.**

 **I'm very aware. (Stops cartwheeling) Okay guys, here is a new story for you and another DBZ one. Now let me tell you about this story. This one? Is my ultimate brainchild you could say. I have had it bouncing around in my head for years. I have developed various scenarios, characters, and plotlines for this story. I just never really had the confidence to put it all out in the open for everyone to read.**

 **ML: Until now-chazu.**

 **Yeah, I decided that, after all of these years, it deserved to at least be put on digital paper and see where it leads me. That's just how writing goes.**

 **ML: I'm very glad that you know that.**

 **Thanks sis! Alright then! You know the deal.**

 **ML: Taiyo-chan does not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its various sister series. I'm pretty sure if she did, she would have died already from the sheer joy of the situation.**

 **Mmm, you got me there. Alright, enjoy the story guys!**

Chapter 1: Fences

"Blankets?"

Gohan glanced at the gathered duvet and bed sheets near him. He was kneeling on the floor of his bedroom, an open backpack at his knees.

"Check. Bathroom essentials?"

Toothbrush in a small plastic bag, several containers of shower gel, fluffy towel, and hair brush.

"Check. Matches, check. Water bottles, paper, check."

One by one, Gohan checked down his mental list of items, packing them into his backpack, making sure they were able to fit into the bag properly. He had to take everything out of the bag and reorder them several times but, eventually, he managed to get all of the objects inside without the bag falling apart.

With that task out of the way, Gohan stood in front of his floor-length mirror and took a look at himself. He had foregone his usual shirt/overalls combination and decided on a recently new outfit. He wore a vibrant yellow t-shirt, a dark blue jacket with yellow stripes going down the arms, and black pants. Through the combination of a thorough brushing (he nearly broke his brush) and pulling it back into a low ponytail, Gohan managed to cover up his hair with a bandana the same color as his jacket. Even then, two of his longer bangs poked out of the bandana, framing his face.

Gohan nodded in satisfaction, slung the bag across his shoulders, and made his way out of his room. He managed to clear the hallway and stairs in record time, arriving on the ground floor of his home and hurriedly walking to the front door.

"Gohan?"

Gohan stopped in his tracks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blob of orange. He turned his head and saw his father in the living room.

Son Goku was a man who managed to cut an eye-catching figure, no matter where he was. Though some of that charisma was mitigated when one got to know him better and found out just how much of a goofball he could be.

The elder male Son was in the middle of a set of pushups, likely not the first set and definitely not the last. Goku stared at his son confused.

"Where are you off to?" He asked.

"Ah." Gohan rocked slightly on his heels. "I'm off to go visit Icarus. It's been a while since I last saw him. I have a bunch of stuff that I want to show him!" Gohan patted the backpack on his shoulders for emphasis.

"Oh!" Goku smiled at the explanation. "Well don't let me keep you waiting. Tell Icarus I said hi!"

"I will!" Gohan made his way out of the house. "Tell Mom that I'll be back before dinner!" he shouted halfway through the door.

"Have fun!" Goku shouted back, watching his son exit the house. Through the window, he could make out Gohan walking quickly into the front before he pushed off into the air, becoming nothing more than a speck moments later.

Goku went back to his pushups, a pensive look decorating his face.

There was something going on with Gohan. Nothing bad, exactly, but strange. There was this air around him… he seemed so energetic. Not that he wasn't filled with energy before, but he usually preferred to sit back and watch others have a good time.

But now he was more….dynamic, you could say. More and more, Goku found that his son was growing out of the bashful nature that he's held for most of his life. Though Goku could attribute all of those changes as Gohan growing up. He _was_ ten now, puberty just a few years away for him.

Well, there wasn't much he could do at the moment. At this point, he would have to wait until Gohan spoke up in order to figure out what was going on.

Hmmm…. Maybe Piccolo would know what was wrong?

Gohan made his way through the dense thickets of Mt. Paozu's forest. For this outing, Gohan had foregone flying and decided to take the scenic route to his destination. He hummed to himself as he deftly jumped over rivers, avoided hungry predators, and (for one memorable moment) helping a deer fawn who had gotten stuck down a hill.

After several more minutes of hiking his way through forest terrain, Gohan finally turned up in a moderately sized clearing. A short burst of wind blew through the short grass, rustling the leaves in the surrounding oaks. In the center of the clearing, a rather large oak tree. From the whorls on the branches, he could tell that this particular specimen was a good hundred years old, possibly two hundred. But his focus wasn't on the tree, no, his focus was on what was being held in the boughs of the oak.

Gohan couldn't quite call it a treehouse. It wasn't handmade out of wooden materials like regular ones. Instead, the core body of a capsule house rested at the top. It was far more compartmentalized then the general version of the product, holding one large segment for the main living area and a smaller segment for the bedroom and bathroom. Another change in detail from the majority of capsule houses was the paint job, a camouflage color in contrast to the stark white.

Gohan hurried across the clearing to the base of the tree. Once there, he stopped, detached one hand from the straps of his bag, and knocked a peppy sounding tune into the bark.

There was a moment of silence before -

"Really? _Happy Together_? That's what you decided to go with?" A voice, sounding both exasperated and amused, came from the inside of the house.

Gohan grinned at the voice. "Well, I could have gone with _Mr. Blue Sky_ , but I felt that was overkill even for your tastes."

There was some grumbling made inside the house. But instead of answering Gohan, the front door of the house opened and a rope ladder was dropped down to land in front of the young Saiyan. Gohan wasted no time in grabbing the handles and climbing up. It only took him several seconds to reach the end of the ladder and the doorway to the house.

"I will never not be impressed with how easily you can do that." The voice commented.

Gohan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, using his other hand to set down the backpack. "It's not really that impressive, Ash." Gohan bent down to remove his shoes.

Ash snorted. Gohan took a moment to look him over.

Ash was a recent companion but Gohan felt like he had known him for longer. He was the same age as Gohan, with similar coloring in his eyes and hair, though his eyes were a shade or two lighter brown. He had on his indoors outfit, a black t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. His bright red and white hat, with a green stylized L, was seated on top of his head as always. He wore a pair of brightly-colored socks, modeled after some cartoon that Gohan had never watched before. Purple and green seemed to be the main colors of the show.

"How have you been?" Gohan asked, moving away from the doorway (bag clutched in one hand) and further into the sitting room.

The sitting room was simple in design. Hardwood flooring and white walls made for a neutral feeling. A standard white half-circle couch sat in the middle of the room, with a circular oak table in front of it. A TV sat mounted on the wall. The kitchen area was small but functional. Beyond that, Gohan could make out the personal touches made by Ash. An extra jacket thrown over one side of the couch. A pair of sneakers sitting against the wall. A laptop left open on the den table. Papers scattered on the kitchen table and dishes left in the sink to be washed later.

Ash shrugged, following Gohan. "The same as I have been for the last few weeks. Finally gotten used to how quiet it is around here. Except for all the animal noises. Don't know how you can stand it, Bones."

"Well, I lived around here for my entire life, so I really don't notice any difference. I can't understand how you're capable of living in a city." Gohan sat down on the couch in the middle of the room. "All those cars and the people running around _everywhere_. I don't know how you sleep at night listening to all of it."

Ash gave a short laugh and sat down next to Gohan. " That's just how the city is, Bones. And I _like_ all the noise. It's like a lullaby."

"If you say so. Want to look through the stuff I brought for you?"

Ash made a gleeful noise in the back of his throat and reached for the bag. Gohan watched his new friend with a soft smile. It was nice to see him get so excited over small things like a blanket that didn't hold the smell of dust or a pair of pants that had no threads coming loose at the ends.

Speaking of which.

Gohan took a closer look at Ash. Took note of how his fingernails had been bitten down to stubs. The slight bags underneath his eyes that told Gohan he hasn't been sleeping well.

"How is it going?" Gohan asked softly. "Have you made any progress on where she is?"

Ash froze for a moment, one hand holding an old textbook on algebra that Gohan thought he would find interesting. He didn't do anything for several moments before sighing and sagging into the couch, still holding the book.

"It's...been going slow." Ash answered slowly. "I managed to narrow down her location as to where she isn't. I know for sure that she isn't on Hokkaido, Shikoku, or Kyushu. Just focusing on Honshu, I checked that she's not living in either Chuugoku or Touhoku. But that still leaves Kantou, Chuubu, and Kansai to look into. I'm not sure how long it will take me at this point."

Ash rubbed at his face and Gohan felt a surge of empathy for his friend. He could understand that helpless feeling, wondering if it would be better if you just quit at that moment. Gohan remembered well the numbing terror, the sheer pressure he felt when he was four. The thought of having to fight off alien invaders when just _one_ of them was enough that his dad had to die to stop him. Learning that he was the only hope that Earth had for surviving, that he needed to grow up and fight.

( _But he never wanted to fight, why would he wish to hurt another living being, cause them pain, cause them anguish, potentially snuff out the glow of their soul just like_ _ **what happened to Daddy**_ _-_ )

Gohan took a slow, deep breath.

And he had never quite stopped having to fight. Fight for revenge, fight for peace, fight to protect, fight to save, fight to live, it was a constant state of being for him now. And though he had gotten used to the feeling at this point, had fostered his strength and courage from it, he couldn't help but wonder when it would end. When they could just take a deep breath and not have to worry about fending off beings who wish to cause harm to the innocent and helpless. Even now, these three years were just in preparation for a greater battle, the fate of their continued future resting on all of their shoulders.

Ash was much older than Gohan when he had learn to do these things on his own. Older when he realized that adults were not always going to be there to help you. But that still didn't diminish the weight that had more than likely settled heavily on his mind at the moment. Maybe Gohan couldn't do much in this field, but Gohan would give the support that he wished he had years ago.

Gohan reached over and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "You know I'm here for you, right? We'll figure this out and find her….together."

Ash took his face out of his hands and gave Gohan a small smile. "Yeah...yeah, I know. Thanks."

"You can thank me by calling me by my name, not Bones."

Ash gasped in mock horror. " Why would I want to do that? We're a duo, man! You're the Bones to my Jim. The McCoy to my Kirk."

"Still don't really know who they are, Ash."

"What? I'm pretty sure I sat you down for an episode or two of Star Trek the last time you were here."

"Just the one episode."

"Well that is just sad. C'mon, we're havin' a marathon!" Ash scrambled for the television remote.

Gohan laughed as Ash rushed to make them comfortable for their impromptu TV marathon, listened to him stumble through the kitchen for snacks and drinks.

There was two months, five days, and several hours before the androids make themselves known on Amenbo Island to begin their reign of destruction. He knew that once he returned home, he would be subjected to several rounds of last minute training by his father and Piccolo in order to make sure they were all ready. And those rounds would continue until that fateful day. Anyone of them could easily die. In another timeline, that is _exactly_ what happened to them. They were given a chance to fight that dystopian outcome.

Ash rushed back into the living room, soda cans and bowl of popcorn balanced precariously in his arms. It was a feat of great juggling that he didn't drop anything on his way over.

But for the moment he didn't have to be Son Gohan, child of Son Goku, defender of the planet Earth and half-Saiyan warrior. He could just be Gohan, 'Bones', friend of Ash even though Gohan had a frankly pitiful knowledge of pop culture and TV shows.

"Now." Ash settled the bowl of popcorn between the two of them. "To truly understand the sheer awesomeness that is Star Trek, you must watch the most amazing moments in the series. And so, let's skip forward to Season 2, Episode 4, 'Mirror, Mirror"."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to start from the beginning?"

"Shh, just watch the awesome at work, Bones."

Gohan hoped after everything…. He could still have these moments.

 **For any of you who have ever watched a lick of Pokemon, I'm sure you recognize exactly who Ash is.**

 **ML: It would be pretty hard not to-chazu.**

 **What I have to say is this: yes, it is Ash, at least in personality and appearance. But his backstory is very much different from how it is in the series. I'm sure you all figured that out with him living in the woods and his mom nowhere in sight. And just to let you know, no, there will be no Pokemon in this story. I'll probably have to label this story as a crossover with that series later on though, when more characters from Pokemon start showing up.**

 **ML: What about that third series? Yu-Gi-Oh? You want to make some of their characters central in here too?**

 **I'll get there when I get there, sis. For now, it's mainly the DBZ universe with Ash as a transferred resident. I'll expand on it more as the story goes on. Now with that out of the way- (collapses to the ground).**

 **ML: (Sighs heavily) She really needs to learn how to take care of herself. Well, until next time everyone. Goodnight.**


End file.
